HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0931.021 1996-1998
A
~ ~ O s Ft
~,IlIJbMIN J. CAYETANO JAMES J. NAKATANI
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Governor Y - - Chairperson, Board of Agriculture
! LETITIA N. UYEHARA
y ?9 Deputy to the Chairperson
PHONE: (808) 974-4140
State of Hawaii FAX: (808) 974-4148
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
16E Lanikaula Street
Hilo, Hawaii 96720-4302
August 4, 1998
Mr. James Arakaki, Chairman
RECFN®'~~...
County Council
}1me___- BY•-
5 Aupuni Street
County Cound!
to Hawaii 96720
Chairman James Arakaki and members of the County Council.
My name is Lyle Wong and I am Administrator of the Plant Industry Division of the State
Department of Agriculture.
The following brief statement is made on behalf of the Chairperson of the Department of
Agriculture, Mr. James Nakatani, in support of the proposed irradiation facility for the island
of Hawaii.
Over the past three years, growers and shippers in Hawaii with the assistance of the HDOA
have moved over 270,000 pounds of tropical fruit (papaya, starfruit, lychee, atemoya,
rambutan and others) to the Isomedix gamma irradiation facility in Morton Grove, Illinois,
for quarantine treatment.
The fruit has been offered for retail sale in main line and ethnic markets in Minnesota, Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio, New York, Florida, Texas, California, Washington State and Hawaii, with
excellent consumer acceptance.
The test shipments demonstrate that growers in Hawaii can move quality products in
significant volumes to a commercial irradiator, that fruit quality is not compromised by the
treatment, and that market acceptance is high. The acceptance, in fact, has been enthusiastic
and strongly positive as judged by the demand for fruit as well as the interest given to this
project by numerous U.S. trade and marketing organizations.
Some logistical problems have been encountered, all of which underscore the need for a
commercial post-harvest irradiator in Hawaii. High value fruit as rambutan and atemoya bear
late in the year. Some of our air shipments to and from Chicago have been "bumped" during
the Christmas season when U.S. mail has priority. /
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Page 2 - Arakaki
The more telling problem, though, has been the added costs of transhipment through Chicago.
This has added up to $1.50/lb to retail prices, a cost that in the long run is unacceptable in
highly competitive markets. As such, the treatment of fruit in Hawaii prior to shipment is by
far the preferred option for Hawaii growers.
County Bill 62 was a bold statement of support for Hawaii agriculture; a support strongly
echoed by many groups in the community.
The Department of Agriculture urges the County Council to vote "no" on the initiative before
the Council today.
The Department remains confident that an informed public after thoughtful review of all the
facts will strongly support irradiation as a safe and beneficial technology for Hawaii.
Thank you for taking this testimony.
Lyle Wong, Ph.,Y~-
Administrator, Plant Industry Division